Rail-cleaning freight car wheels and truck

ABSTRACT

A non-electric rail-cleaning device for toy and model trains is described including providing wheels and a truck as an efficient means of keeping rails clean of foreign material. The design provides a convenient and economical means of eliminating the manual operation of cleaning track to ensure good electrical contact between the current-carrying rails and locomotive.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to a rail-cleaning device for toy and model trains comprising of a wheel truck carriage arrangement that can be mounted underneath a railcar. The truck carriage contains different sized wheels coupled together with at least one wheel having a cleaning pad for the purpose of polishing and cleaning the rails.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Electric toy and model trains often require rail cleaning maintenance to ensure good electrical contact between the current carrying rails and locomotive. One approach to cleaning rails is to manually rub the rail surface with an abrasive block, which is very time consuming, especially with track layouts that have inaccessible arrangements or are covered by structures such as tunnels.

[0003] One attempt at providing a rail-cleaning device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,233 to Richter, in which an electric motor is coupled to a cleaning pad guided by the rails. Although such a device is capable of cleaning the rails, the use of a separate motor and electronics for the purpose of cleaning the rails is expensive and requires motor-gear maintenance.

[0004] Another attempt at providing a rail-cleaning device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,168 to Poissant, in which an electric motor is coupled to a cleaning pad that polishes the top surface of the rails. Although such a device is capable of cleaning rails, the degree of polishing is not governed by the speed of the train, which can cause over polishing if the locomotive looses traction while cleaning the rail. Once more, the use of a separate motor for the purpose of cleaning rails is expensive.

[0005] Other attempts at providing a rail-cleaning device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,475,771 to Wittner, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,335 to Webster, in which pads containing chemicals are used to dissolve and clean residue on the rails. Although such a device is capable of cleaning the rails, the use of chemicals in the toy and model train environment is undesirable.

[0006] Finally, many types of rail cleaning devices use a large cleaning pad attached to the railcar, which drag over the rail surface, such as the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,103,897 to Bonanno. Such devices must be constructed significantly wider than the rails, so they do not lose contact with the curvature of the rail, which is undesirable from an appearance standpoint, and the cleaning pads do not wear evenly nor compensate for uneven rail joints.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] A. Objects

[0008] It is therefore an object of the invention is to provide a non-electric rail-cleaning device for toy and model trains that is simple in construction.

[0009] Another object of the invention is to provide a non-electric rail-cleaning device for toy and model trains that is easily adaptable to a freight car.

[0010] Another object of the invention is to provide a non-electric rail-cleaning device for toy and model trains that is robust in construction.

[0011] Another object of the invention is to provide a non-electric rail-cleaning device for toy and model trains that is economical.

[0012] Another object of the invention is to provide a non-electric rail-cleaning device for toy and model trains that is easily adaptable to a freight car.

[0013] B. Summary

[0014] The invention comprises a wheel set comprising of at least two different sized wheels coupled together on a fixed axle, with at least one wheel combined with a cleaning pad, and optionally, at least one wheel combined with a friction tire. Although in one embodiment the invention comprises two different sized wheels coupled together on one axle, in other embodiments different structure for coupling the wheels together on a freight car truck may be used. Thus in another embodiment a belt and pulley system across the axles is used. In another embodiment a connecting rod attached to the wheels is used. In another embodiment gearing across the axles is used. When assembled into a railcar truck, as the train travels on the rails, both wheels rotate on the fixed axle at the same rate. In one wheel revolution of travel, the larger wheel travels more distance or circumference than the smaller wheel, causing the smaller wheel to slip on the rails. When a cleaning pad is combined with the smaller wheel, this slipping action polishes and cleans the rail. An optional friction tire combined with the larger wheel assures that the smaller wheel slips while rotating. To keep the railcar level, the railcar truck bolster frame is designed with an uneven surface, which compensates for the unleveled railcar truck due to the different sized wheels.

[0015] In its simplest form, the invention comprises a railcar axle coupled with two different sized wheels with integral cleaning pad, and a means of leveling the railcar, which allows this invention to easily and economically adapt to different railcars having the same size track or model scale.

[0016] Furthermore the invention accomplishes rail cleaning without the need of a separate motor or the use of cleaning solvents. And the invention works regardless if the railcar is moved manually or is pulled behind a locomotive as part of the train.

[0017] Furthermore, the rail polishing action is directly controlled by wheel rotation and the speed at which the railcar moves. The flanged wheel design also allows the cleaning pad to closely follow the rails, and by the nature of the rolling wheels allows the pad to adjust or roll over uneven rail joints.

[0018] Finally, the invention requires no adjustments, and is easily concealed inside the railcar truck frame, and does not take away from the realism of the model train consist.

[0019] Further aspects and advantages of the various embodiment of the invention will become apparent from consideration of the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020]FIG. 1 is an isometric view of one embodiment of the present invention showing different size wheels coupled together for the purpose of cleaning track.

[0021]FIG. 2 is a bottom view of one embodiment of the present invention showing different size wheels coupled together for the purpose of cleaning track.

[0022]FIG. 3 is a side view of one embodiment of the present invention showing different size wheels coupled together for the purpose of cleaning track.

[0023]FIG. 4 is an exploded isometric view showing one embodiment of the wheel assembly of present invention.

[0024]FIG. 5 is a partial exploded isometric view showing one embodiment of the wheel assembly of the present invention.

[0025]FIG. 6 is an exploded isometric view showing one embodiment of the frame, which allows easy removal of wheel set.

[0026]FIG. 7 is an exploded isometric view showing one embodiment of the present invention assembled to a freight car.

[0027]FIG. 8 is a partial view of one embodiment of the present invention showing a rail-cleaning truck with different size wheels mounted on separate axles coupled together through a gear train for the purpose of cleaning track.

[0028]FIG. 9 is a partial view of one embodiment of the present invention showing a rail-cleaning truck with different size wheels mounted on separate axles coupled together using a belt and pulley system for the purpose of cleaning track.

[0029]FIG. 10 is a isometric view of one embodiment of the present invention showing a rail-cleaning truck with different size wheels mounted on separate axles and coupled together using a connecting rod for the purpose of cleaning track.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] The invention relates to a rail-cleaning device for toy and model trains comprising of a wheel truck carriage arrangement that can be mounted underneath a railcar. In some embodiments, the truck carriage contains different sized wheels coupled together with at least one wheel having a cleaning pad for the purpose of cleaning and polishing the rails.

[0031] In one application, a larger flanged wheel diameter of 28.5 mm was coupled to a smaller flanged wheel diameter of 22.2 mm, and based on the difference in circumference for each wheel, in one revolution, the smaller wheel slip while rotating was calculated to be approximately 19.8 mm. In some embodiments, the wheels are pressed on a single axle shaft with splines or gearing near the end of the shaft to keep the wheels from rotating independently. In addition, weights can be added to the railcar to control the amount of friction or cleaning action between the wheel and rail. Cleaning action can also be controlled by the number of cleaning wheel arrangements included in the train consist, the type of cleaning wheel abrasive, and the diameter of the wheels.

[0032] In some embodiments, the cleaning pad is in the form of a disk made from extra fine synthetic steel wool attached to the smaller wheel arrangement. The advantage of the synthetic steel wool material is that it is washable and reusable, and won't rust, shred, or splinter. Further, the open cell nature of this material also prevents debris from accumulating on the surface of the cleaning wheel.

[0033] In other instances, the cleaning pad is made from a disk of polyethylene foam, a disk of non-abrasive rubber like material such as an ink eraser.

[0034] In another embodiment the cleaning pad is made from cloth tape rapped around a wheel.

[0035] In another embodiment a one-piece flanged wheel is molded from an abrasive material.

[0036] Although specific types of cleaning pad materials are described here, one skilled in the art would foresee other cleaning pads made of abrasive and non-abrasives surfaces without distracting from the scope of the invention.

[0037] In another embodiment the cleaning disk is attached to a wheel axle by press fitting a bushing onto the wheel axle and securing with an adhesive. In another embodiment a cleaning pad disk is attached to the wheel using an integral dowel pin molded onto the face of the wheel, and secured with a snap-fit disk pressed into a groove formed in the wheel shaft.

[0038] Although specific types of mounting arrangements are described here, one skilled in the art would foresee other means of assembly without distracting from the scope of the invention.

[0039] In another embodiment a friction tire is designed to fit inside a groove formed in the outer circumference of the larger diameter wheel. In one specific embodiment a friction tire was made from a 1.5-millimeter thick rubber tire, with an outer diameter of 28.5-millimeters and an inner diameter of 22.2-millimeters.

[0040] In some embodiments, to level the railcar body, the railcar truck frame bolster is modified by providing an elevated surface on the frame on the side with the smaller wheels. In one specific embodiment, a wedged shaped piece of plastic is attached using foam tape.

[0041] In another embodiment, the piece is attached by drilling holes and inserting screws.

[0042] In another embodiment, the elevated surface is molded as part of the plastic frame.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 1 it can be seen that rail-cleaning truck 10 is generally comprised of a side frames 12, bolster frame 13, and wheel assemblies 14.

[0044] Referring to FIG. 2 it can be seen that wheel assemblies 14 consist of two different sized wheels coupled together on one shaft 17. The smaller wheel 15 contains cleaning pad 16 for polishing the rails. The larger wheel 18 contains traction tire 19 to prevent wheel slip.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 3 it can be seen that wedge shaped piece 20 attached or molded to bolster frame 13 is used to level the railcar body.

[0046] Referring to FIG. 4, the wheel assembly 14 previous described is shown. In one embodiment, cleaning pad 16 is disk shaped with center hole 22 and key hole 23 that align with wheel rim 24 with pin 21. Pin 21 keeps cleaning pad 16 from rotating independently from wheel rim 24. In one embodiment, cleaning pad 16 is secured to wheel rim 24 using slotted plastic disk 25, which snap-fits over and inside groove 26 on end of axle shaft 17. Disk 25 contains beveled edge 31 for supporting cleaning pad 16.

[0047] Bushing 28 is an alternate disc 25 for securing cleaning pad 16 to wheel rim 24. As shown, bushing 28 contains hole 29 for accepting similar shaft 17, and beveled surface 30 for supporting cleaning pad 16. In one embodiment, bushing 28 is secured to shaft 17 by way of a press fit or by adhesive.

[0048] Again referring to FIG. 4, axle shaft 17 contains spline key 27 on each end to keep larger wheel 18 and smaller wheel 15 from rotating independently. Larger wheel 18 contains groove 32 to accept traction tire 19.

[0049] Referring to FIG. 5. it can be seen that in one embodiment the smaller wheel assembly 15 is of one construction with cleaning pad being in the form of a cloth tape tire 33 rapped around the wheel rim.

[0050] Referring to FIG. 6 it can be seen in one embodiment, wheel assembly 14 can be easily removed from rail cleaning truck 10 by incorporating slot 38 in side frame 12. Shaft 17 is held in place by snap-fit hook 39 when railcar is lifted and removed from the track.

[0051]FIG. 7 shows rail-cleaning truck 10 attached to the bottom of freight car 34 using screw 35. In one embodiment, as shown the two rail-cleaning trucks 10 are arranged so that wheels containing (abrasive) cleaning material 16 are on each side of the railcar 34. Weight plate 36 can be added to increase friction between cleaning material 16 and rail 37.

[0052] Referring to FIG. 8 it can be seen that rail-cleaning truck 10 previously described comprises smaller wheel 15 mounted on front axle 17, and larger wheel 18 mounted on rear axle 17 are coupled together through gear train 38 attached to side frame 12.

[0053] Referring to FIG. 9 it can be seen that rail-cleaning truck 10 previously described comprises smaller wheel 15 mounted on front axle 17, and larger wheel 18 mounted on rear axle 11, are coupled together using pulley 39 mounted to axle 17 and connected by belt 40.

[0054] Referring to FIG. 10 it can be seen that rail cleaning truck previously described comprising smaller wheel 15 mounted on the front end of frame 41 and larger wheel 18 mounted on the rear end of frame 41, are coupled together using connecting rod 42 secured with screws 43.

[0055] While he invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as described by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A toy and model train rail-cleaning device comprising: a set of different size wheels coupled together for the purpose of cleaning track; and at least one wheel incorporating an abrasive or cleaning material.
 2. A toy and model train rail-cleaning device according to claim 1 including a frame for attaching said wheels to railcar truck.
 3. A toy and model train rail-cleaning device according to claim 1 wherein a traction tire is mounted around said opposing wheel coupled with said cleaning wheel.
 4. The rail-cleaning device truck of claim 3 with said traction tire mounted around said larger wheel.
 5. A toy and model train rail-cleaning device according to claim 4 wherein said abrasive or cleaning material is mounted on the smaller wheel arrangement.
 6. A toy and model train rail-cleaning device according to claim 5 wherein said abrasive or cleaning material is mounted on both wheels.
 7. The rail-cleaning device of claim 1 with keyed or geared mechanical means located on an axle shaft to prevent independent rotation of wheels.
 8. The rail-cleaning device of claim 1 wherein said abrasive or cleaning material is mechanically keyed to the wheel.
 9. The rail-cleaning device of claim 1 with wherein said abrasive or cleaning material is mechanically keyed to axle shaft.
 10. A toy and model train rail-cleaning truck comprising: a set of different size wheels coupled together for the purpose of cleaning track; at least one wheel incorporating an abrasive or cleaning material; and a frame for attaching said wheels to railcar truck.
 11. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 10 with said frame having means for keeping a car body suppported by said truck level.
 12. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 11 wherin a bolster plate is provided on said truck having surfaces to keep said railcar body level.
 13. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 12 wherein said bolster plate includes a separate triangular wedged shaped surface.
 14. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 10 containing integrated hand means for manual cleaning of rails.
 15. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 10 wherein said abrasive or cleaning material is secured with at least one key to allow easy wheel removal and replacement.
 16. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 10 with means on said truck frame to allow easy wheel replacement.
 17. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 10 with abrasive or cleaning material adhered to wheel.
 18. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 10 attached to a railcar or locomotive.
 19. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 16 having adjustable added weight.
 20. A toy and model train rail-cleaning truck comprising: a set of different size wheels coupled together on one axle for the purpose of cleaning track; at least one wheel containing an abrasive or cleaning material; and a frame for attaching wheels to railcar.
 21. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 20 with a traction tire mounted around said opposing wheel coupled with cleaning wheel.
 22. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 21 with said traction tire mounted around said larger wheel.
 23. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 20 with abrasive or cleaning material mounted on said smaller wheel.
 24. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 23 wherein abrasive or cleaning material is mounted on both wheels.
 25. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 20 with keyed or geared mechanical means on axle shaft to prevent independent rotation of wheels.
 26. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 20 with abrasive or cleaning material mechanically keyed to said wheel.
 27. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 20 with abrasive or cleaning material is mechanically keyed to an axle shaft on said truck.
 28. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 20 with means on said frame for keeping said car body level.
 29. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 20 wherein said bolster plate includes surfaces to level said railcar body.
 30. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 29 wherein said bolster plate includes at leat one separate triangular wedged shaped surface.
 31. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 20 including integrated hand means for manual cleaning of said rails.
 32. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 20 wherein abrasive or cleaning material is secured using at least one key to allow easy wheel removal and replacement.
 33. The rail-cleaning truck of claim 20 wherein said truck frame includes means for allowing easy wheel replacement. 